Chapter 72: Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Months later.

I am finally launching my designs and designer clothing today. I am not well-known yet but that will happen soon. With the help of mum and the support of my family, I am happy to announce that my fashion designing dreams are at the peak of becoming true. Mum has made sure to introduce me to who knows who. They keep saying that my work is outstanding and that I am gonna make it to the fashion industry without a struggle.

I smile absently as I comb my long hair soothingly. I glance at the mirror when I feel a presence and I smile when my eyes catch mum’s in the vast mirror.

‘’You look very beautiful.’’ She says with a smile plastered all over her face and I smile back at her.

‘’Thank you, mum. I take after the best and the most beautiful mother on earth.’’ I tell her and with her smile still on. I realize that her hands are folded behind her.

She brings them forth and I smile ear to ear when I realize what she is holding. She has a golden chain, with matching earrings to go with the red-flowered skirt I am wearing with a white nicely fitting filigree top.

I am wearing my own handwork and I feel good in it. I like them so much but guess who picked this outfit? Your guess is or maybe it isn’t right.

Harry Williams picked it for me.

Mum took me to meet with Williams, well I cannot bring myself to call him dad. It sounds awkward and I just feel guilty being that he is also Harry’s dad.

He was so happy but got completely sad when he started telling us what happened and how he ended up with Jenna.

He had shreds of evidence of mum in bed with different men. He said that Jenna kept telling him not to tell on her to her friend.

’’I think she photoshopped and made sure to implicate you in one way or another. I am just so stupid that I believed her instead of approaching you to confront you.’’

‘’That’s fine, you lost the chance already,’’ Mum told him gently.

That he learned of mum’s death much later. Jenna had told her that mum committed suicide and killed his baby. He got furious and only wanted revenge.

That’s the reason he ended up marrying Jenna. According to him.

‘’Baby girl. Concentrate.’’ Mum startles me from my trance and I shake my head. At this rate, I won’t be able to finish dressing up.

Nothing much is left anyway. I just need to put on my Tom Tailor designer shoes. They are golden in colour. Mum bought the pair for me and I am just not sure why she keeps doing it.

She is spoiling me crazy with numerous gifts. She should let me fend for myself but mum never lets me.

I look at the mirror one more time and I marvel at how sweet I look. The gifts from mum have fitted nicely and anyone with a closed eye can tell that they are stunning, elegant, striking and very expensive. She must have spent affluence on this one

‘’Thanks, mummy. You are the best momma in the world.’’

‘’And you are the best daughter in the world. I love you.’’

‘’I love you too.

‘’Now, can you get ready? We need to get going. Your clients and any other invited guests should always find you at the venue. Anita and Emmy together with Tabby will usher in guests. Claire and Henry will stay with Ian and I will help whenever I can. Please note, this is your event and not mine. A great team you have here baby girl.’’

I nod at her. ‘’Well noted, mummy.’’

She smiles, kisses me fondly on my forehead and then turns on her heels and walks away without another word.

I thank God for this woman. She has held my hand all this time and I don’t know where I’d be if not for her and family. She took me in even without knowing that I was her daughter, she was really good and welcomed me without expecting anything in return.

I walk very slowly and sit on the edge of my gargantuan bed. God has really been faithful to me. I am happy that all my dads will be attending my function, well, they are all invited and I can’t wait to meet Jerald. He is more of a father than all of them.

My tears are close and they keep threatening to spill out but I keep holding them back. I am not sad or anything, I am happy and these are just tears of joy.

I know how much life can be challenging but I am glad that I walked through the challenges and I am here today.

I was a hopeless freak when I stepped foot into the city. my main aim was to work as a house help save money and then do what I can to empower what I wanted to do.

I met love in the process, suffered a lot and in the end Harrison is finally mine. He works so hard and he keeps saying that I give him the metier and the grift to keep working hard. He loves his son so very much and even though it hurts to hear him say, he keeps saying that he doesn’t want his son to grow without his parents.

Ian has really grown. His grandparents are really spoiling him. Emmy, Luke, and Tabby are even worse, they keep carrying him around and the boy is never put down even in his sleep. I let him enjoy the love of uncles and aunties. Not forgetting Henry and Anita who are really close to us. They have no idea that I am sharing a dad with them.

Someone knocks on the door and I instantly know who that is. Harrison is here. I am worried a bit. I keep thinking that it is totally wrong to marry him but hey, shit happens and sometimes, it might be hard to go back to the status quo.

The knock is persistent and I stand on my feet to go get the door.

Harry is standing there looking just as I remember. So handsome that I am 100 percent sure that I cannot compare him with anyone else on this planet. He is in a sharp business suit. Dark blue in colour and white shirt. He looks really hot.

‘’Baby you are rubbernecking.’’ I blush automatically when she says that. ‘’Aren’t you gonna ask me to come in, beautiful?’’ I smile foolishly. That name still makes me shy. I like it very much.

‘’Um, come in handsome.’’ He bursts out a hearty laughter when I say that. I move aside to let him go in but he doesn’t pass.

‘’You just called me a sweet name. I have never been called that before.’’ I smile at him as I walk to his open arms.

‘’You look nice.’’

‘’And you look beautiful, as always.’’ I think by the end of today, I will be done with blushing because I am blushing more than I should.

‘’Thank you.’’

‘’Come on, baby. We got to go. You are going to be late. This is your event remember?’’ he asks and I nod. I thank God for bringing me together with this version of a man. He keeps reminding me that I need to stop being nervous and act like the fashionista that I am.

He pulls out from the hug and I feel cold instantly.

***

He holds my hand and leads me to the aristocratic car that he bought recently. He opens the door and relaxes as I skip inside. I sit short gun and he bangs the door once he is sure I have settled then he rounds the car to the driver’s side.

He pulls out gently and it doesn’t take long before I notice another car coming. Luke’s car. He is probably driving mum to the venue.

I rest my head on the headrest. I smile slightly when I think of the fact that I am finally going to launch my own designs.

This is a dream come true.

Dreams are truly valid.

Harvey Mackay said: When you have a dream that you can't let go of, trust your instincts and pursue it. But remember: Real dreams take work, they take patience, and sometimes they require you to dig down very deep. Be sure you're willing to do that.

It has taken me this long to be able to do this. I didn’t lose hope at whatever time. I know I can do better.

Then my mind shifts to the day when he gave me an engagement ring. I absently lift my hand to my face and I glance at the beautiful ring around my finger. I am one lucky and happy woman.

The loud bang that I heard. That was a sign meant to alert Harry that the serenade was about to start. It was a beautiful surprise. Harry is a man of many talents and a very creative one for that matter.

He is romantic. Super romantic.

No doubt.

He decided to serenade me. He brought a famous musician who sang a song that we both fancy so much. It provided an instantaneous burst of happiness, sort of like jumping in a puddle after it rains. I felt over the moon when Harrison lifted me with ease and took me outside to the singers.

He sang our song and asked me to forgive him for all the pain he had caused me. I accepted and said I will move on without thinking about the past.

That was one of the special moments I have ever experienced in my life. Our friends and our families were really happy for both of us. I tensed when I heard the bang but relaxed later when Harrison told me there was nothing to worry about.

Harrison later told me that Henry just wanted to tell him about Diana’s death.

After the serenade, he took me to a dinner party where a reservation had been made and we all enjoyed the evening.

Alvin and Janet who by the way is now my employee and Alvin’s girlfriend were there. Luke came with Tabby, while Henry was there with Anita. We had so much fun and everyone was like they have learned a lot from my relationship with Harrison

They said they thought I was going to give up but were very happy when I didn’t. Those were Tabby’s words. She and Emmy have made sure that Harry and I are always comfortable.

I wish all my friends the best as we keep moving on.

‘’Did you forget my presence here, beautiful?’’ Harry asks astonishing me. ‘’Are you okay?’’ he asks again when I don’t say a word.

‘’I am why are you asking?’’

‘’You have been quiet throughout this drive. Everything okay?’’

‘’All is well,’’ I respond to him unflappably. He looks alarmed but I wish he could see there is no cause for alarm.

‘’Are you telling me the truth, beautiful?’’

‘’Hey, what’s the position with your mum?’’

‘’Way to change the topic baby?’’ he asks again. ‘’Anyway, mum totally refused to see us the last time we went visiting.’’

‘’When was that?’’

‘’Last week on Wednesday. I told you I was going to see her. Did you forget?’’

‘’Hey, I am so sorry. I should have come with you as we normally do. Sorry, I left you to go alone.’’

‘’It’s okay. You had back to back meetings and I didn’t want you to miss them. You have also been preparing for this event so I just wanted to see mum. Anyway, Henry accompanied me. She is my mother after all and I don’t want her to feel abandoned. You know after the court ruled that she is guilty of all the offenses and after some parents not knowing where their children are, she cannot get out easily.’’

‘’Sorry about that, love.’’

‘’Don’t be, beautiful. Jenna was moved to the penitentiary because of her bad behaviours. She decided to steal people’s kids and do God knows what with them. Just as Aliana asked her, did she ever give birth?’’

I shake my head. ‘’You, Henry and Anita, she must have sired the three of you.’’

‘’I have my doubts after all that happened. Let her pay for her sins, okay? She really has caused other people’s suffering and that’s just part of paying for her sins.’’ He says firmly. ‘’We’re here, baby.’’

I lift my head and I realize that he has pulled up at the company’s parking lot. There are just a few cars, some of which I already know belong to other employees.

He gets out and opens the door for me. I hop out and he slides his arm with mine and walks me to the venue. The venue is beautiful. The interior decoration is on point. The seats are covered in white with a bit of gold and the area next to the podium has been left open for free interaction.

The visitors are streaming in one after the other and I smile when I look at my achievements.

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort; Franklin D. Roosevelt

I may not be where I have always wanted to be but I am glad that I have made a step forward and that I am not where I started.

My designs are put everywhere in an orderly manner.

‘’Good morning, Ladies and gentlemen.’’ My master of ceremony who also happens to be Alvin starts and everyone pays attention to him. ‘’I want to thank you all for making time out of your very demanding diaries to be here and celebrate together with us. We are very delighted to host you here today. We are here now to launch D&M Daughter and Mum’s Fashions. Clara is turning out to be a great fashionista and I wish her nothing but all the best that this life can offer.’’

Rounds of applause follow when he says that. He calls different people and by the time he decides to call me. Everyone else has spoken and I am the only one left.

‘’I would like to call to the podium, Clara who is the main host today’s event. Let her tell us her achievements, failures and anything else that she would like to talk about.’’ People from all corners of the hall wallop their hands as I walk with confidence to the podium.

Mum who was seated close to me walks with me until I get to the podium. She leaves me alone and winks at me. I am nervous the first few second but I gain my confidence when I look everywhere and realize I am the one being looked at.

All eyes are on me.

‘’Ladies and Gentlemen. I am very pleased to welcome you today at the D&M Fashion Designers to launch my designs. I am honoured to be standing before all of you. I want to thank individuals who have stood by me all this while.’’ I take my time mentioning each person. Every time I mention a person they come up and just wave to the audience.

‘’My mum, Mrs. Jones, I wouldn’t have made it without her. I am happy that she did it. Mum, may God bless you for me.’’ She comes forward and the excitement in the audience is evident. She hugs me and whispers in my ear that she knew I was going to make it. I smile brightly. I now feel super confident.

‘’Last but not least, please help me appreciate Harrison who has been there for me in all time. His encouragement and late-night messages that keep me smiling as I work on my new designs. He pares the very little time that he has in his busy schedule to be with me when I need him and he is the biggest part of my achievements. Thank you, Harrison Williams.’’ He comes up and hugs me.

People are happy and rounds of applause go off. When we break the long hug. He waves and goes back to his seat.

‘’Ladies and gentlemen. You are free to walk around. Have some wine as you go around looking at my designs. Feel free to ask any questions and have a few designs to take home.’’

Show of appreciation. People clapping and yelling in excitement.

‘’Thank you very much.’’